Method for preparing beer

ABSTRACT

A method of preparing beer from beer wort including adding amidated pectin to the wort or beer to inhibit coagulation and precipitation of proteins and to obtain a haze in the beer.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a fermented beverage with beer wortbase.

It also relates to a method for preparing a fermented beverage with beerwort base.

It finally relates to a use of compounds for enhancing some of thequalities of fermented beverages.

Generally, the preparation of a Pils-type beer uses a series of stepsdesigned to obtain a beer which is as clear as possible. These varioussteps comprise in particular precipitation, adsorption, centrifugationand filtration of the beer wort. Pils-type beers are then considered asbeing colloidally stable when they no longer develop any haze at the endof their preparation cycle and during their storage.

In contrast to Pils-type beers, in order to be liked by the consumer,some special beers have the main characteristic of exhibiting, at thetime of their consumption, a haze which is abundant and persistent to agreater or lesser degree and which gives them the appearance of anunfiltered beer and confers on them a nonindustrial and naturalcharacter.

In these type of beers, the haze is generally due to the presence ofyeasts, of suspended particles, mainly proteins, which may be verydifferent in size and compositions. Indeed, the main fraction of thesuspension depends on the method of preparation and the conditions forstoring the finished beer, especially on the prior duration ofdecantation and on the temperature at which it is carried out.

Two main types of haze are generally distinguishable according to theirbehaviour as a function of the temperature.

The first type corresponds to so-called irreversible hazes which remainafter heating the beer to a temperature of the order of 15° C. The mainparticles encountered in irreversible hazes are especially yeasts,protein or starch particles and oxalate crystals.

The second type corresponds to the so-called reversible hazes which formduring cooling of the beer to the temperature for consumption, generallyless than about 12° C., and which disappear completely or partially withheating of the beer. Reversible haze mainly consists of proteins andpolyphenols.

After preparation, most of the hazes encountered in beers tend tosediment during storage, finally giving a beer which is clarified to agreater or lesser degree as well as a deposit.

This deposit can be resuspended by shaking at the time the beer isserved, so as to again obtain a beverage having an adequate haze.

It can be easily understood, however, that such a way of operating isnot systematically observed by the consumer.

It is therefore important for the brewer to be able to offer a beerhaving a haze of good quality and capable of persisting, at least untilthe beer is consumed, without the need for a specific operation by theconsumer.

A method is known from WO 96/04363 for improving the stability of thefoam produced by some beverages such as beer, consisting in adding oneor more pectins during or after the process of preparing such abeverage.

It is also known that other polysaccharides have the same property, forexample gums or modified starches or cellulose derivatives.

It is also known that the addition of a carrageenan to a hot wortstimulates the coagulation of the soluble proteins contained in thiswort and facilitates the sedimentation of the proteins and therefore theclarification of the beer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aim of the invention is to respond, to a large degree, to this aimby providing a new fermented beverage with beer wort base having animproved haze.

A first object of the present invention is to provide a fermentedbeverage with beer wort base whose haze stability is improved.

Another object of the present invention relates to a method forpreparing a fermented beverage with beer wort base having a haze withimproved persistence.

Another object of the present invention relates to the use of specificcompounds for stabilizing the hazes in fermented beverages with beerwort base.

The fermented beverage according to the invention, with beer wort base,is characterized in that it comprises a natural or synthetic additivecapable of forming at least temporarily stable complexes with proteinfractions of the said wort or of the said beverage, or of forming asuspension at least temporarily stable in the said wort or the saidbeverage, the said additive being present in the said fermentedbeverage, at least during its preparation, in a proportion sufficientfor obtaining a satisfactory haze in the finished beverage.

The inventors of the present patent application have indeed discovered,surprisingly, that the hazes could be improved by the action ofcompounds capable of inhibiting the coagulation and precipitation of theproteins contained in the wort used to prepare the said beverage or inthe finished beverage, forming for example with them complexes which arestable for a certain period, or forming a suspension in the wort.

According to the invention, the additive is soluble in water. Within theframework of the present invention, “soluble in water” is understood tomean a product which can form an aqueous solution at a concentration ofat least about 10 mg/l of water.

Advantageously, the additive consists of one or more polysaccharideschosen from the group comprising in particular starch derivatives,cellulose derivatives, pectin or its derivatives, in particular amidatedpectin (E 440), carbohydrate gums or their derivatives.

There may be mentioned by way of nonlimiting examples of cellulosederivatives which can be used within the framework of the presentinvention hemicellulose, microcrystalline cellulose (E 460), methylcellulose (E 461), hydroxypropylcellulose (E 463),hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (E 464), methylethylcellulose (E 465) andcarboxymethylcellulose (E 466).

There may be mentioned as nonlimiting examples of starch derivativeswhich can be used within the framework of the present invention themodified starches E 1404 to E 1450 as described in the EuropeanDirective 95/2/EC No. L61/1 of 20/02/1995.

There may be mentioned as nonlimiting examples of gums which can be usedwithin the framework of the present invention xanthan gum (E 415), gumtragacanth (E 413), gum acacia, alginic acid (E 400) and its salts,especially of sodium (E 401), of potassium (E 402), of ammonium (E 403),of calcium (E 404), propylene glycol alginate (E 405), karaya gum (E416).

Other polysaccharides which can be used within the framework of thepresent invention comprise those belonging to the family ofcarrageenans.

The numbers corresponding to the European legislation in the area offood products for some of the products which can be used within theframework of the present invention, from the publication EurofoodMonitor, European Union Legislation on Foodstuffs, Agra Europe (London)Ltd., are indicated in the preceding text.

According to a first embodiment of the present invention, the additivecomprises a polysaccharide as defined above.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the additivecomprises a mixture of several polysaccharides as defined above.

The subject of the invention is also a method for preparing a fermentedbeverage with beer wort base. The method according to the inventionpreferably comprising the steps of cooking, boiling, cooling, fermentingthe wort and of storing the beverage obtained, is characterized in thata natural or synthetic additive capable of forming at least temporarilystable complexes with protein fractions of the said wort or of the saidbeverage or of forming a suspension at least temporarily stable in thesaid wort or the said beverage is added during the preparation of thesaid beverage.

It is not necessary to describe in greater detail here the steps ofcooking, boiling or fermenting the wort. These indeed correspond tothose commonly used in the brewing industry. Persons skilled in the artcan refer to conventional mashing, malting and hopping techniques, asdescribed, for example, in the publication “Bières et Coolers [Beers andCoolers]” M. Moll, Collection Sciences et Techniques agro-alimentaires,Apria, Paris 1991.

According to the invention, the additive essentially consists of one ormore polysaccharides as defined in the preceding text.

The additive is added, in powdered form or preferably in the form of anaqueous solution, at any of the steps of preparing the fermentedbeverage. According to a first embodiment of the present invention, theadditive is added at any time between the beginning of the step ofboiling the wort and the beginning of the step of cooling the wort.

According to yet another embodiment of the method of the presentinvention, the additive is added to the finished product.

The additive is added according to the invention in a proportion rangingfrom about 5 to about 2000 mg/l of wort or beverage, preferably about 10to about 1000 mg/l of wort or beverage, still more preferably from about50 to about 500 mg/l of wort or beverage.

The lower proportions used depend on the type of polysaccharide used,the physicochemical composition of the beverage, the time of adding andthe degree of purity of the polysaccharide.

The criterion of purity of the polysaccharides is not an essentialfactor for the application of the invention because the proportionsapplied simply have to be adjusted as a consequence. Thus, for example,pectin may be introduced in the form of a crude or impure source, suchas a fruit fraction, extract or concentrate.

In the specific case where the polysaccharide has to be extracted andsolubilized during the method, the preferred form for addition is in thehot wort.

Higher proportions are generally limited by problems of secondaryeffects of visual or organoleptic deviation which is specific to eachpolysaccharide and each type of beverage, such as for example theformation of a precipitate, an excessively high viscosity, adestabilization of the foam, or the appearance of unacceptable tastes.

Persons killed in the art will easily find the optimum conditions foraddition which are characteristic to their own beverage by carrying outa limited series of systematic empirical trials.

The subject of the invention is also the use, for increasing the qualityof the hazes of fermented beverages prepared from beer wort, of one ormore natural or synthetic water-soluble polysaccharides capable offorming at least temporarily stable complexes with protein fractions ofthe beer wort or of forming a suspension at least temporarily stable inthe said wort or the said beverage.

According to the invention, the polysaccharides which can be used are asdefined in the preceding text.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional advantages and characteristics of the invention will alsoappear in the light of the more detailed description which follows ofexemplary embodiments of the present invention which are given purely byway of illustration and with no limitation being implied, and thefigures relating thereto and in which:

FIG. 1 is a graph representing the effect on the protein break of anadditive according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating the effect on the haze of a wort ofincreasing proportions of an additive according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a representation by histograms of the size distribution ofprotein particles of a first beer sample which has received no additiveaccording to the invention;

FIG. 4 is a representation by histograms of the size distribution ofprotein particles of a second beer sample which has received an additiveaccording to the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a graph representing the change in the haze in two beersamples as a function of the duration of storage in the cold and of thetemperature at which the beer is served.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The basic principle of the invention is to produce complexes between thepolysaccharides introduced and the proteins in the wort or in the beer.Depending on the reactivity of the polysaccharides and their time ofuse, these complexes may spontaneously precipitate in the form of ahaze, or may modify the conditions for precipitation of proteins duringthe process or in the finished beer.

Gum acacia contains a glycoprotein fraction which possesses propertiesfor stabilizing colloidal systems. The reactivity of this gum is weak inthe sense that it does not create immediate haze in the beer, but itseffect becomes perceptible during the formation, from decantation, ofthe reversible cold haze. This gum is preferably added at the end of theprocess in order to avoid its thermal degradation.

Pectin reacts with proteins which precipitate during the cooling of thewort or of the beer. It follows that the first result of an addition tohot wort will be the formation of a permanent haze which will remainduring the process and in the finished beer, and the second result willbe to modify the conditions for the formation and precipitation of thereversible cold haze in the finished beer.

Pectin may also be introduced into the beer so as to preferentially acton the stabilization of the reversible fraction of the haze formed atlow temperature.

The addition of carrageenans to the wort is a common practice in breweryin order to promote the clarification of the wort by accelerating theprecipitation and the flocculation of protein break. In the invention,the high reactivity of carrageenans towards proteins is on the contraryexploited in order to create and maintain a permanent haze in the beerat room temperature. The action of this polysaccharide also manifestsitself in slowing down the speed of sedimentation of the proteinparticles in the haze which forms during the cooling of the finishedbeer.

EXAMPLE 1

In this example, the effect of an additive in accordance with theinvention on the quality of the haze of a beer is studied.

To do this, two beer wort samples are collected during a cycle forproduction of a special beer, during the cooking step. The first sample(sample A) receives no additive and serves as a control. The secondsample (sample B) receives an additive consisting of pectin, in aproportion of 0.30 g/l of wort.

The pectin used is the product commercially available under the namePectine Q 40 from the company Sanofi, France.

The two samples A and B are placed in 500-ml graduated tubes.

The quality of the haze of the two worts is evaluated in the followingmanner. The decantation volume of the protein break containing theprotein fractions coagulated and which have precipitated is measured.

This method of evaluating the haze of the wort is in particulardescribed in the publication “Bières et Coolers”, Paris, 1991, p 130.

Now with reference to FIG. 1, it appears that the formation of theprotein break of sample B (curve C2) is slowed down, in comparison ofthat of sample A (curve C1).

Given that a rapid and high protein break corresponds to a weakpersistent haze, pectin therefore acts as a factor inhibiting andreducing the protein break, and consequently as a factor which increasesthe quality of the haze in the beer.

This is clearly demonstrated in FIG. 2, which shows the effect of theconcentration of pectin Q40 added to the hot wort on the formation ofhaze at 20° C. in the cooled and centrifuged wort.

The results indicated in FIG. 2 are obtained in the following manner:

The hot wort (100° C.) is collected at the end of the cooking step anddivided into samples without addition of pectin (0 g/l), or withaddition of pectin (0.1 g/l, 0.2 g/l, 0.3 g/l, 0.5 g/l, 0.75 g/l or 1g/l). After dissolution of the pectin by gentle stirring for 5 min, thesamples of wort are cooled to 20° C. and centrifuged (2500×g, 15 min).The haze is measured in each supernatant, by absorbance (A 700 nm) or bynephelometry (EBC units).

The relative distribution of the size of the protein particles in thebeers obtained from the two worts of type A and B is then measured byphoton correlation spectroscopy using a Mastersizer apparatus (MalvernInstruments, Great Britain). The results are given in FIGS. 3 and 4.

It appears from FIG. 3 that the type A beer particles possess a meandiameter of about 0.8 μm whereas with reference now to FIG. 4, the typeB beer particles possess a mean diameter of about 0.3 μm, demonstratingthe role of pectin in the inhibition of coagulation and of theprecipitation of the proteins in the wort.

The two beers A and B are then stored at 0° C. for two weeks. The hazeis evaluated by measuring the absorbance at 700 nm by visible UVspectrometry (1 cm cell) after 24 hours, one week, two weeks and threeweeks of storage, and by heating the beer from 0° C. to 20° C.

It appears in FIG. 5 that the intensity of the hazes of the two beersamples decreases during storage but that the beer which did not receivepectin (curve C3) possesses a haze of lower intensity than the beerwhich received pectin (curve C4).

The improvement in the stability of the haze during storage appearsthrough the expression of two phenomena. On the one hand, the so-called“permanent” haze because it persists after heating to 20° C. in glass,is 4 to 10 times higher in the test compared with the beer withoutpectin, even after a prolonged period of decantation at 0° C. Moreover,the fraction of the so-called “reversible” cold haze, calculated by thedifference between the value measured at 2° C. and that measured at 20°C., is also higher in the test, compared with the beer without pectin,after 3 weeks of decantation at 0° C. The latter stabilizing effect onthe reversible fraction of the haze is similar to that described inTable 1 in the annex.

EXAMPLE 2

In this example, several additives according to the invention aretested.

The additives used in Example 2 are no longer added during the cookingof the wort, as was the case in Example 1, but to the finished beer. Thesamples are stored at 0° C. for a period of four weeks. The haze of thedecanted beer is evaluated at 2° C. and after heating in a glass at 20°C., using the same method as that described in Example 1.

The results are given in Table 1 presented in the annex of the presentpatent application.

It appears from the results obtained that all the additives used have aneffect of slowing down the speed of sedimentation of the reversiblefraction of the haze of the beer and consequently prolong thepersistence of the haze in the product. On the other hand, theproportions to be used for each product can vary considerably from oneproduct to another.

The carrying out of the invention allows the production of beveragespossessing a permanent haze of good quality for at least four weeks, ata storage temperature of 20° C., and of beverages possessing areversible haze of good quality for at least three weeks, at a storagetemperature of 0° C.

In the specific case of the additive 2 (carregeenan), a slight increasein the permanent haze measured at 20° C. is also observed (0.074 A onaverage, at least 0.027 A in the control).

It goes without saying that the present invention is not intended to belimited to the exemplary embodiments which have just been described, butencompasses on the contrary all the variants.

Persons skilled in the art will have all the time to adapt the presentinvention to their own needs simply by carrying out optimizationoperations without as a result departing from the scope of the essentialfeatures thereof, as defined in the claims which follow.

Annex

TABLE 1 Duration of Control beer storage without at ° C. additiveAdditive 1 Additive 2 Additive 3 T (° C.) 2 20 2 20 2 20 2 20  7 days0.310 0.037 0.527 0.029 0.521 0.099 0.484 0.020 14 days 0.102 0.0290.416 0.057 0.352 0.096 0.241 0.019 21 days 0.083 0.038 0.377 0.0370.285 0.084 0.165 0.020 28 days 0.052 0.027 0.161 0.016 0.242 0.0740.097 0.020 Additive 1: gum acacia, commercially available from thecompany Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Belgium at a dose of 1000 mg/l of beerAdditive 2: carrageenan E 407 satia gum E, commercially available fromthe company Sanofi, France at a dose of 10 mg/l of beer Additive 3:pectin E 440 (70 to 80% purity), commercially available from the companySanofi, France, at a dose of 100 mg/l of beer

1. A method for preparing a beer from a beer wort, said methodcomprising the steps of cooking, boiling, and fermenting said beer wortas for a pils-type beer, wherein said method further comprises, incontrast to a pils-type beer, a step of adding amidated pectin to thewort, prior to the cooling the wort, or to the beer and a step ofcentrifuging the wort, said pectin adding step comprising addingamidated pectin in a proportion of between 5 mg/l and 2000 mg/l of wortor of beer in order to inhibit coagulation and precipitation ofproteins, said pectin adding step and said centrifuging step beingconducted so as to obtain at least one of a persistent irreversible hazein the beer which remains at a temperature of 15° C. and a reversiblehaze in the beer which remains at a temperature below 12° C. anddisappears at 15° C., said persistent irreversible haze and saidreversible haze each having predetermined characteristics in terms ofintensity and persistence during storage.
 2. A method according to claim1, further comprising introducing said pectin into the beer wort whilein a heated condition so as to create a permanent haze.
 3. A methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising introducing said pectin intothe beer when finished so as to slow down the speed of sedimentation ofthe reversible haze and to maintain said reversible haze in suspension.4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising adding said pectinin a proportion of between 10 mg/l and 1000 mg/l of wort or beer.
 5. Amethod according to claim 4, wherein said adding step comprises addingsaid pectin in a proportion of between 50 mg/l and 500 mg/l of wort orbeer.
 6. A method according to claim 4, wherein said adding stepcomprises adding said pectin in a proportion on the order of from 100mg/l to 300 mg/l of wort or beer.
 7. A method according to claim 1,wherein said pectin adding step comprises varying the proportion of saidpectin which is added inversely to the degree of reactivity and thedegree of purity of said pectin and to be dependent upon the time whenthe pectin is added.
 8. A method according to claim 1, furthercomprising adding said pectin in a quantity and under conditions whichcreate beer particles having a mean diameter of 0.3 μm.
 9. A method forpreparing a fermented beverage including a beer prepared from a beerwort, said method comprising a preparing step including a step of addingamidated pectin to the wort in sufficient amount to inhibit coagulationand precipitation of proteins and to maintain a permanent haze duringthe beer making and in the finished beer, cooling said beer wort afteraddition of the pectin, and centrifuging said cooled beer wort.
 10. Amethod according to claim 9 wherein said adding step comprises addingsaid pectin in a proportion of between 10 mg/l and 1000 mg/l of wort.11. A method according to claim 9 wherein said adding step comprisesadding said pectin in a proportion of between 50 mg/l and 500 mg/l orwort.
 12. A method according to claim 9 wherein said adding stepcomprises adding said pectin in a proportion of between 100 mg/l to 300mg/l of wort.
 13. A method according to claim 9 wherein said adding stepcomprises adding said pectin in a proportion of between 5 mg/l and 2000mg/l of wort.
 14. A method for preparing a fermented beverage includinga beer from a beer wort, said method comprising a preparing stepincluding a step of adding amidated pectin to the wort in sufficientamount to inhibit coagulation and precipitation of proteins and tomaintain a reversible haze during the beer making and in the finishedbeer, cooling the beer wort after addition of said pectin, andcentrifuging the cooled beer wort.
 15. A method according to claim 14wherein said adding step comprises adding said pectin in a proportion ofbetween 10 mg/l and 1000 mg/l of wort.
 16. A method according to claim14 wherein said adding step comprises adding said pectin in a proportionof between 50 mg/l and 500 mg/l of wort.
 17. A method according to claim14 wherein said adding step comprises adding said pectin in a proportionof between 100 mg/l to 300 mg/l of wort.
 18. A method according to claim14 wherein said adding step comprises adding said pectin in a proportionof between 5 mg/l and 2000 mg/l of wort.
 19. A method for preparing abeer from a beer wort, said method comprising steps of cooking, boiling,and fermenting said beer wort, as for a pils-type beer, wherein saidmethod further comprises, in contrast to a pils-type beer, a step ofadding amidated pectin to the wort prior to cooling to the wort or tothe beer and a step of centrifuging the wort, said pectin adding stepcomprising adding said amidated pectin in a predetermined proportion inorder to inhibit coagulation and precipitation of proteins, said pectinadding step and said centrifuging step being conducted so as to obtainat least one of a persistent irreversible haze in the beer which remainsat room temperature and a reversible haze in the beer which forms at lowtemperature and disappears at room temperature, said persistentirreversible haze and said reversible haze each having predeterminedcharacteristics in terms of intensity and persistence during storage.20. A method according to claim 19, including adding said pectin in aproportion of between 5 mg/l and 2000 mg/l of wort or of beer.
 21. Amethod for preparing a beer from a beer wort, said method comprisingsteps of cooking, boiling, and fermenting said beer wort, as for apils-type beer, wherein said method further comprises, in contrast to apils-type beer, a step of adding amidated pectin to the wort prior tocooling the wort or to the beer and a step of centrifuging the wort,said pectin adding step comprising adding said amidated pectin in apredetermined proportion in order to inhibit coagulation andprecipitation of proteins, said pectin adding step and said centrifugingstep being conducted so as to obtain at least one of a persistentirreversible haze in the beer which remains at a temperature of 20° C.and a reversible haze in the beer which remains at a temperature of 2°C. and disappears at 20° C., said persistent irreversible haze and saidreversible haze each having predetermined characteristics in terms ofintensity and persistence during storage.
 22. A method according toclaim 21, including adding said pectin in a proportion of between 5 mg/land 2000 mg/l of wort or of beer.